Do MORE by doing LESS!

I have a fixation with growth. I love growing personally as a Christian and a person and I love seeing Churches, organisations and other people grow as well. Unfortunately with growth comes complexity. As Churches grow bigger more stuff gets added to them and if you’re not careful it can actually slow growth down. The same thing can happen when you grow personally as well.

That’s why I want to encourage you to do more by doing less! In his book, “Deliberate Simplicity” Dave Browning writes about 6 powerful principles that can minimise the effects of instutionalisation and increase the momentum of your own growth and the growth of the organisation or group you lead. The 6 principles are:

1. Minimality: Keep it SIMPLE – It’s not about the hours you put in; it’s about what you put into those hours. Focusing is about making choices, and that means deciding what to leave out as well as what to leave in. The secret of concentration is elimination.
2. Intentionality: Keep it MISSIONAL – Keep asking the question, “What business are we in?” Be intentional about staying focused on the main thing you exist for.
3. Reality: Keep it REAL – Say goodbye to impression management and say hello to candor. Love God, love people and come as you are…really.
4. Multility: Keep it CELLULAR – Always ask, “What if…?” It’s a dangerous question but an important one if you are going to keep growing. Multility is a commitment to creating multiples of some thing rather than multiple versions of that thing. 
5. Velocity: Keep it MOVING – Live with a sense of urgency. Time is short and now is the time to act. Develop the ability to move from idea to implementation quickly (By the way Activate’s growth has come from this one principle).
6. Scalability: Keep it EXPANDING – Keep people scattering out rather than focused in. Develop an “arrows out” theology that keeps people moving out rather than staying boxed in.

Lead the Change!

Book Review: Death by Love!

I have just finished reading “Death by Love”, a fantastic book about the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (Jesus’ work on the cross).

Author: Mark Driscoll is the preaching & theology pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and Gerry Breshears is the professor of theology at Western Seminary.

BIG Idea: The big idea of the book is the sufficiency of Jesus’ work on the cross in every area of our lives. It explores the relevance of the theology of the atonement to everyday life.

Review: This book is a brutal and honest reflection about sin and suffering and points to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ as our true Savior. It explores 12 testimonies of people who are struggling with sin themselves and suffering at the hands of others and how they are responding to it in light of what the atonement has accomplished for us.

Favourite Chapter: Chapter 10 is beyond good, it’s delicious. Chapter 10 is “My wife has a brain tumor: Jesus is Caleb’s Christus Exemplar”. It explores the contrast between the Christianity lite theology of glory compared to the theology of the cross. The theology of glory celebrates what human beings can do based on their personal vision, self-discipline and hard work. The theology of the cross celebrates what Jesus alone can accomplish for us, through us, with us, and in spite of us. The theology of glory is about a Christianity that is aimed at glorifying self to live in victory with health and wealth. The theology of the cross is the true gospel that seeks Jesus, regardless of what it looks like. 

Rating: 9/10 

Lead the Change!

It’s the little things!

One of the most fascinating things to observe is the process of change in people’s lives. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that it is the BIG things that makes the biggest difference but in fact, it’s generally not true. 

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Tipping Point” the power of little things is brought into clear focus. The thesis of the book basically points to the truth that if you do enough little things towards a certain goal and you join those little things together, it all compounds to the point of tipping a brand, product or company over the edge making it viral and in demand.

For example, Malcolm shared a story about the dramatic reduction in the crime rate in New York in the early 90’s. New York in the 1980’s was crime ridden and dangerous. The mayor of New York took responsibility to change the little things that wouldn’t normally be thought of as being able to have a significant impact. These include: removing subway graffiti, placing new train cars on the subway, catching fare evaders, removing the squeegee man and creating mobile police stations on buses that were able to process offenders more quickly through the system. All of these little tweaks contributed to a 76% reduction in crime in New York. It’s the LITTLE things that make a BIG difference. 

In Aussie Rules football it’s well known that it is the 1 per centers of tackling, handballs, shielding and running that can often mean the difference in a game. The same goes for every area of our lives especially our spiritual lives. King Solomon reminds us that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vineyard and to go to the ant and consider her ways. Jesus warned us to beware of the Pharisees for a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

The same is true for church life. Activates growth has come from the little tweaks that are consistently made in all areas of the church, not for change sake but for growth’s sake. While our eyes are focused on the big picture vision, our hands need to be busy doing the 1 per centers: positive attitude, clear communication, encouraging people serving, consistent punctuality, daily devotions, neat work space, inviting somebody to a church service and reading a chapter of a book everyday.

God revealed to me one day clearly that, “Consistency is my greatest testimony.” Like Rome, God’s house won;t be built in a day but if I would posture myself week in and week out to do the little things well, over time it will compound, turn viral and spill over into a harvest. What you sow is what you reap.

Lead the Change!

Book Review: Vintage Church

It’s been a week since our last book review and this week I am reviewing another fantastic book by Mark Driscoll called ‘Vintage Church’. You can purchase this book through Koorong, Word or online at http://www.amazon.com

Author: Mark Driscoll is the preaching and theology pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. Co-author Gerry Breshears is the professor of theology at Western Seminary.

BIG Idea: The book explores the timeless truths of Scripture about the call, nature, experience and mission of the church and how these truths connect with timely (contemporary) methods of 21st Century church.

Review: This book is foundational and fundamental for all Christians and leaders to read if they are going to understand the doctrine of the church from a biblical perspective and match it with huge developments in how the church is engaging with culture today. Issues like technology, multi-campus church, global transformation and leadership are partnered alongside more traditional themes like preaching, the sacraments, love, church discipline and what is the Christian Church?

Favourite Chapter: The standout chapter for me was Ch9 and Ch12. Chapter 9 talks about the characteristics of a missional church and helps you understand the fundamentals of what a church serious about making followers of Jesus is all about. Chapter 12 is very thought provoking as it challenges our traditional worldviews and visions of how the church actually brings radical transformation about. You may be surprised at what you read in this chapter. It challenges all pre-suppositions and argues for another more biblical worldview of transformation.

Rating: 9/10

Lead the Change!